How Times Change

He paused, puffing up his chest. “TonPay is now an imprint of Mountain View. And you’re looking at MV’s new President of financial services. And not one of my folks is losing their job. As a matter of fact, they’ll be expanding down there.”

Jade processed that. One word stuck out. “They? Not we?”

At that Lucas’s smile turned almost inside out. “They JJ. MV want’s their new President of FS full time on the board. I have a new job.”

Those words hung in the air. More thoughts than Lucas had money were barreling through her mind, whipping with the sea wind. It dawned on her all of the sudden what he was saying and her eyes went wide. “Wait- you mean you’re-!” No time to finish the thought as he scooped her up, spinning her on the street. She giggled and frowned at the same time. “Lucas Peters you goof, put me down!” He did, the smile still pasted to his face. It faded and the intensity she remembered lit up his eyes. She breathed deep and asked the question. “So you are…”

He let his voice drop. “I’m West Coast now JJ. Full time.” Her turn. She felt all the weight of two years plus two weeks fall off her shoulders. With a heart full of too much to contemplate at the moment, she jumped, squealing like a school girl.

The seagulls answered their laughs from the corner

Three years to the day:

The gulls were circling hoping for more of the French fries that had come from the tan little goblin fingers. Jade shaded her eyes.

“Tana! Not too close to the water!” Her answer was, predictably a squeal and a tiny mass of curls running for the water, long tan legs kicking up sand. Jade mock frowned and poked her companion. “Ok. You’re up, Superman.”

From under the brim of his beach hat, ‘Superman’ spoke, his deep voice full of laziness. “Nope. You. You’re the responsible one because you’re so much older.” Jade mocked gasped at that and went to punch his arm, but he was too quick for her and rolled out from under the beach umbrella. “Nice try, JJ, points for effort. “ He leaned down and planted a kiss on her cinnamon cheek and then stood up. “I’ll give you five seconds lady T…one…two…” Tana had stopped to see if he was coming, at three she squealed and bolted for the water. “Four and five!”

Jade watched as Lucas’s long leg’s chewed up the sand, gaining ground but only barely.  Lord, that child can run! She saw Luc catch the little speedster just before the water, spin, and do a dramatic flop, taking her with him in a mass of arms legs and pealing little squeals.

A smile found its way onto her face. It was something she was getting used to; after all this time it was still hard to imagine where she was compared to where she’d been. Mrs. Jade Jillian Peters. It had a certain ring to it.

It had taken Lucas all of three months to propose and her all of one minute to say yes. Two and a half years of learning to remember who she was and who she wasn’t, all at the instigation of one quirky, wonderful man.

Tana had been a surprise- though she shouldn’t have been the way she and Lucas had made up for lost time. At that thought she heard the little devilette calling from the shore line. “Mommy! Come swim! Daddy says that we can catch a shark!”

“Oh, he does does he?” She stretched and climbed up an out into the sand. Lucas flashed her his trademark grin and then proceeded to splash Tana silly. Jade paused for a moment, thinking back.

She remembered thinking she was home and free so long ago at the wedding.

I could have been. She watched Lucas act like a craband shook her head, smiling. Maybe I should have…

Freedom. She’d given it and it had come back to her. It brought home with it. From down the beach, Tana giggled like bells. “C’mon mommy!”

I can handle home.

The end.